


fool for you.

by carmillasleatherpants (courtneyarnelle)



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe- No Supernatural, Bartender!Laura, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, POV Third Person Limited, Police Officer!Carmilla
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-10
Updated: 2016-10-01
Packaged: 2018-08-14 06:40:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8002264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/courtneyarnelle/pseuds/carmillasleatherpants
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carmilla, recently estranged from her family, moves to the small American midwestern town of Silas. Where she eventually meets Laura Hollis, who spends her nights bartending at the The Lustig.</p><p>Laura and Carmilla aren't a love at first sight story. But when you're drawn to someone, in the end there's nothing you can do but fall.</p><p>(Wayhaught Inspired AU)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LoveRemains](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoveRemains/gifts).



> Hi. :)

**What was it about** Laura Hollis?

If Carmilla was being completely honest with herself, she hadn’t liked Laura at first. They were far from a love at first sight story. In fact, a part of Carmilla had resented Laura entirely.

Still, as much as Carmilla swore to herself she couldn’t stand Laura, she paid far more attention to her than she’d ever admit to.

Laura had a stability in her life that Carmilla had both never experienced and envied. Laura was the sheriff’s daughter. Henry Hollis was sheriff of the small town of Silas, located in the middle of American Midwestern Nowhere. Silas was so small it didn’t even get a spot dedicated to it on the map. And it had been exactly the kind of place Carmilla had wanted to (and eventually did) escape to after her fallout with her mother.

Being the sheriff’s daughter in a small town had made Laura inherently the entire town’s daughter. Everyone adored her. But despite that, Carmilla had never seen Laura hanging out with anyone. She found it strange how someone so well liked could have so little friends.

Laura worked part time as Co-Chief Editor of Silas’ newspaper and spent her nights working at _The Lustig,_ the only bar downtown. It wasn’t a secret that the bartending was looked down upon by her father, but she was in her early twenties and he wasn’t in charge of her anymore. With how small Silas was, that job was the only real form of rebellion and freedom within Laura’s grasp.

After securing herself a job as a police officer after a short ten week training period (which was far from her ideal career), the first place Carmilla had been taken to was _The Lustig._ That was the first time she’d seen Laura. And she was gorgeous. There was an innocence and light that Laura radiated that was breathtaking. But a new face was always cause for a little excitement. Instead of introducing herself to the pretty girl working behind the bar like she’d wanted, Carmilla was surrounded by other people shoving their hands towards her for her to shake and tossing around miscellaneous greetings.

The attention made her uncomfortable. So when she finally did talk to Laura, she was irritated. Their first conversation was nothing more than an exchange of names before Carmilla excused herself from the bar back to the room she was renting at a tiny hostel until she could secure an apartment.

And since their less than stellar introduction, Laura hadn’t give her the time of day.

Laura Hollis became nothing more than her bosses’ nosy daughter who hung around the station like she had nowhere else to be until happy hour rolled around and she had to head to her other job.

And it was easy to ignore and avoid Laura… Or it had been easy to ignore and avoid her, until her father died.

Silas didn’t see much action. And for it many of the police officers were lazy and undertrained to no fault but their own. So when a group of bandits passed through the town a month ago, unfortunately, Sheriff Henry Hollis had been caught in the crossfires. He’d always been a rather peaceful man, preferring to talk down perps than outright kill them if it was possible. Carmilla didn’t agree with his methodology. And this time it had gotten him killed.

The entire town, including herself, felt the blow.

But no one felt it like Laura did.

Carmilla wasn’t exactly well versed on the Hollis family’s history, but she did know Sheriff Hollis had been the last of Laura’s immediate family in Silas. After he died, Laura stopped coming to the police station. She stopped smiling. Her eyes were always tinged red and there was a time she stopped showing up to both of her jobs. No one blamed her. And no one knew what to say to her.

Silas felt a lot colder without the light that was Laura Hollis.

For that first long month, Carmilla continued to leave Laura alone.

Carmilla didn’t see Laura directly, so it was easy to continue to pretend she wasn’t keeping tabs on her. Until one sunny afternoon in August when walks past _The Lustig_ and hears broken sobs coming from inside. She doesn’t mean to but her step falters a foot past the doors. Every fiber of her being screams at her to keep walking. She could just walk away and pretend she didn’t hear anything. No one would know anyway. She’s about to do just that when the face of the man who’d welcomed her onto his team with a friendly pat on the back appears in the back of her mind.

What kind of person would she be to leave his daughter crying by herself inside of a bar without making any attempt to console her?

Carmilla turns back and knocks lightly on the front door frame. The sobbing slowly stops before a voice answers her.

“We’re not open,” is the watery, barely audible reply. With a long sigh filled with regret, Carmilla ignores the reply and pushes the doors open to walk inside.

All the curtains are drawn, leaving the entire bar in complete darkness when the door falls shut behind her. In the light, one could see the building and its furniture are completely made up of wood. It has the look of a bar you might find in an old Western. If this wasn’t the only bar in town, Carmilla would never voluntarily step foot inside. In its current darkness, she can’t see Laura anywhere.

Carmilla steps forward slowly.  The layout of the bar is somewhat familiar to her and her boots clomp obnoxiously against the wooden flooring, a noise that is ignored in her search for Laura. Carmilla hears a quick, sharp breath as she steps up to the bar itself. When she leans over it to peer behind it, she’s just barely able to make out the shape of Laura huddled on the floor with her knees drawn up to her chest. Her face is completely hidden but Carmilla forces a small smile onto her face regardless.

“Hey, cutie. Do you want to get out of here and get some ice cream?”

There’s no immediate response but Carmilla’s eyes are starting to adjust to the lack of light. She can see the wide-eyed look on Laura’s face which is the only response she offers. The silence feels awkward and Carmilla rubs the back of her neck, unsure what to do.

“Is that a no?” Laura hastily wipes her eyes and stands.

“No. No it’s not a _no._ It’s just—” Laura squints. “Carmilla?”

She’s honestly surprised Laura remembers her name.

“Yes?” Laura lets out a dry laugh as she runs a hand through her hair.

“I thought you hated me.” Carmilla’s not quite sure what to say to that.

“Why would you think that?” Carmilla finally asks after a few seconds. She leans forward to rest her elbows on the bar. Laura turns around to flick on the lights in the back of the bar. They only light up the area behind it. Still, it’s enough light that she can finally see Laura somewhat clearly. Despite the obvious tear streaks and red eyes, Laura manages to look somewhat breathtaking even now. Just as she always does.

When she’d met Laura during late winter earlier that year, her hair had been a dark brunette color. Now nearing the end of summer it had lightened to a golden brown with miscellaneous blonder streaks. Laura had a round, full face and the slightest sign of smile lines on either side of her eyes. Without make up on, the light splatter of freckles across the bridge of her nose and cheeks are more prominent. The brown of her eyes was hard to see in this light, but Carmilla remembers them well.

… Gawking like this was another reason she avoided Laura Hollis.

“You always avoid me. And you glare a lot.” Laura answers. The silence that follows is awkward.

“I don’t… hate you.” Carmilla bites out and Laura scoffs.

“Well when you say it like that it’s so convincing.” Carmilla rolls her eyes, but a part of her is grateful she’s at least being distracting enough that Laura isn’t still crying.

“I don’t.” Carmilla repeats, more forcefully.

“Then why do you avoid talking to me?” Laura sets her hands on the bar opposite Carmilla’s, she looks down at them rather than meeting Carmilla’s eye. Laura’s nervousness is enough to make Carmilla feel guilty for avoiding Laura because she’d assumed Laura didn’t like her. She wasn’t about to admit that to her though.

“Perhaps I had nothing to say.” Laura looks up from her hands to meet Carmilla’s eye. After a moment her lips curl into a small smile.

“Maybe we can fix that if your ice cream offer still stands?” There’s hope in Laura’s eyes. Carmilla figures her hope is for a distraction. And she’s fine with being that distraction for now. It was just one afternoon after all. Hopefully none of the other officers would find out about her taking Laura out on the job and get the wrong idea.

“Sure.” Laura’s face lights up. The brightest grin she’s seen in weeks. Her heart tremors in her chest. Carmilla actually lifts a hand to press against her pounding heartbeat.

 _What the fuck_.

“Okay!” Laura barely manages to control her obvious excitement. “Just—You stay here. And I’ll go clean myself up. I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll be right here, cupcake.” She manages to reply evenly despite the continued fluttering of her heart. Laura flashes Carmilla one last small smile before sure moves away to head upstairs. (It wasn’t a secret that Laura saved money on rent by living above the bar.)

As she watches Laura walk away, Carmilla wonders if asking her out to ice cream would prove to be a mistake or one of the greatest decisions of her life.

* * *

 

 **Laura’s back downstairs in** far less time than Carmilla had been expecting. She’d been busying herself tracing the scratches and dips in the wood that alluded to how old and used _The Lustig_ really was. When she hears the tap of Laura’s sneakers against the wood she looks up again. She’s too far from the lights in the back of the bar for Carmilla to see her clearly. Laura steps back into the light to turn them off but before she does, Carmilla can see that she’s touched up her makeup and changed out of her work uniform for _The Lustig._

There’s a controlled look on her face, like she’s trying very hard to keep it together. A part of Carmilla wants to tell her she doesn’t need to put on a brave face for her, but she keeps her mouth shut. After all it’s not like she and Laura would magically become friends after this. She was just going take Laura out this once, clear her conscience, and they would go back to ignoring one another.

“All ready to go then?” Carmilla asks. Laura fidgets and plays with her left pinky nervously. Carmilla can’t help but watch her hands for a second before she looks up and sees Laura nodding mutely. Carmilla stands and Laura is at her side in an instant. When they leave _The Lustig_ Carmilla holds the door open for her so Laura can walk through first which earns her her second bright grin. Laura locks the door behind them.

Laura lets Carmilla lead them, sticking close to her side. So close she’s almost pressed right against her. Despite the slight height difference between them, Laura feels small beside her. Like she’s curling in on herself to keep people from looking at her. Thoughtlessly one of Carmilla’s arms winds around Laura’s shoulders and when Laura stiffens she immediately regrets it. Until Laura presses against her and yeah okay, she’s not going to complain about a pretty girl being this close to her.

The silence between the two of them feels comfortable this time. The parlor isn’t really far from the bar, only a few blocks but they’re moving at a snail’s pace. There aren’t many people milling around with how hot it is, but those who are double take when they see resident loner Officer Karnstein walking with her arm around the recently reclusive Laura Hollis. Their looks are scrutinizing but when they catch Carmilla’s glare, they turn their gazes elsewhere.

This was one of the downsides to living in a small town: Everyone latched on to any bit of possible gossip.

Laura keeps her head down, a stark opposite to Carmilla who’d never been one to let another person’s opinion of her dictate her behavior. If anything, she tugs Laura a little closer.

“Am I taking you away from your job?” Laura asks quietly. So quietly if they hadn’t been as close are they are now, Carmilla might not have heard her clearly.

“No. I’m on break.” It’s a half truth. She _had_ been on break when she’d first passed the bar… about twenty minutes ago. She’d be late getting back to work. But the Silas Police Department was disgustingly relaxed, even with the Sheriff’s death a month ago. It was very unlikely she’d be seriously penalized for it.

“Okay.” Laura falls back into silence and Carmilla sighs as quietly as she can manage. If Laura wasn’t going to talk, this might be a very awkward date.

Laura opens the door for herself when they actually get to the ice cream parlor before she holds it open so it doesn’t slam back in Carmilla’s face. Once Carmilla’s standing inside, Laura practically glues herself back by her side. It’s a little exasperating having Laura sticking so close to her, but all things considered…

Carmilla places a hand on the small of Laura’s back and nudges her forward towards the cashiers so she can order. Laura orders herself a chocolate cone with sprinkles – something Carmilla doesn’t scold herself for thinking is kind of cute – while Carmilla opts to just get a strawberry milkshake. Laura starts to pull out her wallet to pay for her half but Carmilla slaps down a twenty before she can.

Laura meets Carmilla’s eyes in alarm and whispers, “You don’t have to pay for me.”

“I offered to bring you here. I’ll pay. It’s fine.” The finality of Carmilla’s tone makes Laura snap her mouth shut despite the argument Carmilla sees building.

“Fine.”

Laura leads them to a booth and they slide in to sit opposite one another. The silence feels awkward and stiffening with the almost-argument lingering between them. Laura licks half-heartedly at her cone while Carmilla sips slowly on her milkshake. The longer the silence stretches, the more miserable Laura starts to look which is the exact opposite of where this outing was supposed to lead. Carmilla really _shouldn’t_ care but she’d be lying if she said she doesn’t.

God damn it. She hates seeing Laura look so heartbroken.

Carmilla kicks the toe of one of Laura’s sneakers. Laura’s gaze darts up immediately to meet Carmilla’s. For a moment, Carmilla’s distracted by how pretty her eyes look in this light. It makes her heart flutter embarrassingly. She swallows hard.

_Get ahold of yourself._

“Are you okay?” Carmilla hears herself say and she cringes. Not exactly what she’d wanted to say, but then again she hadn’t exactly had a plan of action.

“Do you care?” Laura mumbles. She takes a large bite from her cone. Carmilla’s initial reaction is to want to say no. But she doesn’t. Because it would be a lie and Carmilla’s never really been a great liar.

Carmilla hates this. She hates being forced to confront her own feelings. She pushed them down for a reason but there was something about how Laura is looking at her expectantly… This is exactly why she’d avoided Laura Hollis.

Avoiding her had been easier than admitting she _did_ keep tabs on her. It was easier than admitting she looked forward to seeing Laura smiling even though it was never directed at her. It was easier than admitting how much she wanted to be in Laura’s life..

Pretending she didn’t care about Laura was infinitely easier than admitting she’d developed a yearning for her despite her initial resentment. And lying to her now wouldn’t do her any more favors.

So she tells her the truth.

“Yes.”

“Why?” Carmilla glares at Laura, feeling more and more annoyed at the confrontation. Laura stares back at her defiantly, refusing to be intimidated.

“Because I do.” Carmilla bites out. Her cheeks flush in embarrassment and she presses a palm against the cool surface of the table to contrast the way her whole body starts to heat up. She should have just left Laura crying by herself in the bar. It would have saved her from this moment. From _blushing._ This wasn’t supposed to go like this. She was supposed to just take Laura out and here was admitting to feeling things.

Laura must feel her discomfort because she reaches out suddenly and covers Carmilla’s hand with hers, squeezing it reassuringly. Laura’s hand is warm on hers. Before she can second guess it, she turns her palm to face upwards. Carmilla watches as Laura looks hesitantly at her hand before she starts tracing small patterns against her palm.

This was easy. Simple even. And it’s the most comfortable Carmilla’s felt with Laura this entire afternoon.

“I’m sorry.” Laura finally says.

“For what?”

“For you having to go out of your way to be nice to me.” Laura presses her lips together and Carmilla scoffs.

“Look, cupcake.” Laura looks surprised at the nickname but Carmilla ignores it. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to be. Okay? You’re not an inconvenience.” Carmilla makes sure to maintain eye contact with Laura so she can see her sincerity. However her words have the opposite intended effect. Laura immediately tears up and a sob bubbles in her throat.

Carmilla panics. It feels like everyone in the parlor is watching them and for the first time since she was in grade school, she feels self-conscious. She moves around to the other side of the booth. She’s not really sure where to put her hands so she sets one awkwardly on Laura’s shoulder.

“I meant that as a compliment.” Carmilla whispers and Laura laughs. _Laughs_.

“I know. It’s just—No one’s ever said anything like that to me before.” Laura smiles and it’s so genuine and bright. “I means more than you know.”

“Well you crying is making me look like a real asshole.” Carmilla mutters. Laura lets out a breathy kind of laugh, leaning forward and resting her head on Carmilla’s shoulder, half eaten cone forgotten on the table.

“Thank you, Carmilla.”

“For what, exactly?”

“For trying.”

* * *

 

 **After, Carmilla walks Laura** back to the bar and is making her way back to the station, she finds a ten dollar bill in her back pocket with a note.

                _For my half. :)_

_~ Laura_

When had she done that?

Still it makes Carmilla smile and she tucks the money back into her pocket.

Laura Hollis was something else.


	2. II

**Fun fact: Laura Hollis** loved to talk. It had taken a few days for the character trait to become apparent to Carmilla. After all, one ice cream date wasn’t going to suddenly make her grief vanish as much as Carmilla might like to believe she could have that effect on someone. And when it started, Carmilla had been happy to hear Laura talking as if she was okay. It felt nice that being with Carmilla was helping her feel better.

It was still very apparent how much Laura missed her father. But handling her grief was a lot easier with someone by her side through it. With someone being patient with her and listening to her.

Carmilla had been chewed out by the new sheriff for skipping work for a few hours that first day, so doing that wasn’t something she could do on a regular basis… or ever. When she could, she would swing by wherever Laura might be – whether the office for the Silas News or her apartment – and take her out to lunch. Laura had grown to wear a somewhat apathetic expression in the month she’d spent grieving on her own and the bright grin that would bloom on her face to greet Carmilla made the tiny dent in her bank account worth it.

At night, if Carmilla wasn’t working a night shift herself, she’d go to _The Lustig_. If Laura was working she’d wait for her in a corner by herself after ordering a bottle and an empty glass. And when Laura finished working, they’d just hang out there and talk. If Laura wasn’t working she picked her up immediately. Then they’d drive off into the middle of nowhere on Carmilla’s motorcycle and stargaze until one of them got tired. On the nights when the weather wasn’t in their favor, they’d just hang out in the bar instead.

It was easy. And it was nice. Being around Laura had brought Carmilla a new stability. The kind that she’d envied in the first place. And she really liked it.

Laura could talk about anything but nothing at the same time. But Carmilla didn’t find it hard to listen when Laura spoke. She could nod and respond when necessary.

It _was_ a little surprising for Carmilla to find out just how aggressive Laura could be. She was opinionated and fiery. She could be a little bit of an ass and it wasn’t uncommon for her to stick her foot in her mouth if she spoke too long. But Carmilla couldn’t bring herself to find it anything but endearing. Even in those moments when she’d like nothing more than to have her be quiet.

It’s dark and rainy the Friday night Laura sees Carmilla’s apartment for the first time, two months after they first went out for ice cream. Carmilla’s staring at nothing in particular, her mind filled with nothing but Laura when the very person who’s been occupying her thoughts plops down into the chair next to her. It startles her enough to make her simultaneously tighten her grip on her empty cup and bite her cheek hard enough to draw blood. She hisses under her breath and glares at Laura who’s smiling knowingly.

“Scared you, didn’t I?” Carmilla rolls her eyes.

“Every day you make me question why we’re friends.” That was a lie but Laura takes it for exactly what it is.

“We’re friends became you like me.” Laura voice borders cockiness. Carmilla seriously debates leaving the bar. Laura slides the cup from Carmilla’s grip and takes the unopened bottle of liquor from where it sits untouched on the table. “Why do you pay for these but never drink anything?”

“I don’t like to loiter.”

“It’s a waste of money. You could just buy water instead.” Laura opens the bottle and half fills the glass. She takes a sip and looks displeased at the taste but doesn’t put the cup down.

“Then what would _you_ drink?” Laura snorts and takes another small sip of her drink. For a moment, there’s no sound between them except the sound of the bustling bar around them. The sounds of feet tapping against the wooden floor, of people chatting among them, a loud laugh from somewhere, the clack of pool balls hitting one another, glasses clinking together, the faint sound of rain from outside…

“It’s raining.” Laura says at the same time Carmilla takes note of it. She finds a window right behind Laura’s head and sees the pounding rain hitting the window.

“Yeah.”

“No stargazing tonight then?” Laura looks from where she herself is looking at a window behind Carmilla’s head to meet her eye.

“You sound disappointed.” Carmilla notes. A slight flush appears on Laura’s cheeks.

“I like spending time with you.” Laura admits after a pause. “And staying here is never as fun as going out.”

Carmilla drums her fingers against the table. She’d been thinking of inviting Laura to her apartment for the past week. They’d been hanging out frequently for a little over two months now. But Carmilla wasn’t sure if it was an inappropriate suggestion or not. The longer she thinks about it, the more silly she feels for how nervous she is about asking. So before she could doubt herself any more, she does.

“We could go to my place.” Laura’s expression immediately shifts to one of surprise. Carmilla immediately averts her eyes, looking anywhere but at her. “We could relax and talk or… Just watch a movie. I don’t know. Whatever you want.”

“You’re inviting me to your apartment?” Laura asks, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Yes…”

“Oh Carm,” Carm? That was new. “I’d love to. If you really mean it.” Carmilla forces herself to meet Laura’s bright brown eyes and for a moment she thinks maybe this isn’t such a bad idea.

“Of course I do.”

* * *

 

 **Carmilla was wrong. This** is definitely a bad idea.

This is definitely one of the worst decisions she’d ever let herself make.

It becomes apparent what a _bad_ idea this was, in terms of her own feelings towards Laura, when Laura’s arms are wrapped around her waist as she climbs behind Carmilla on her motorcycle.

It’s not like this was the first time they’d done this. Carmilla didn’t own a car unless she was using a squad car during her work hours. The first time had been awkward. Laura hadn’t known where her hands were allowed to go and Carmilla had had to physically put Laura’s hands on her waist. At the time, Carmilla had only owned one helmet, so she’d given it to Laura. Preferring she kept Laura safe than risk her getting hurt.

The next day, she’d bought Laura a helmet of her own expecting the method of transportation to become something usual and Laura had looked at the helmet like it was gold.

They decide to leave the bar immediately. Laura runs upstairs to grab her helmet and a few of her things while Carmilla goes outside to wait for her. It wouldn’t take too long for Laura to come back down and Carmilla pretends to fiddle with her bike gloves while she waits. The rain isn’t pouring down as badly as it had seemed to be and Carmilla is mostly unbothered by it. She probably looks like a soaked cat but it’s not a big deal since they’re headed for her apartment anyway.

“Sorry. I’m coming.” Carmilla looks up at the sound of Laura’s voice. The apologetic smile Laura gives her makes her heart flutter just the slightest bit in her chest. A feeling she adamantly ignores. She gestures for Laura to hurry up.

Carmilla swings her leg onto the motorcycle and Laura lifts herself in behind her with practiced ease. That’s when her arms wrap tight around Carmilla’s waist. The way Laura’s body presses against Carmilla’s back and the snug way her arms are around her waist makes Carmilla feel both warm and bothered in a way she knows she shouldn’t associate with Laura.

This was _definitely_ a very bad idea.

Regardless of her every nerve fighting against the urge to run away. She slides her helmet on casually and straightens her bike to leave.

* * *

 

 **The ride back to** Carmilla’s apartment is usually ten minutes tops from the bar. The added factors of the rain and a passenger make her slow the ride. The last thing she needed was to get Silas’ favorite bartender injured under her care. Not that Carmilla thought much of Silas’ residents since _she_ of all people had been the only one to reach out to Laura following her father’s death. She drops Laura off in the front so she can go inside and wait for her out of the rain while she parks her bike.

Carmilla doesn’t actually take her helmet off until she’s inside so at the very least her head can stay somewhat dry. Her uniform is soaked and it clings to her skin uncomfortably. When she gets inside, Laura is huddled off to the left clutching her helmet against her chest and looking rather out of place.

Laura reaches out for her and Carmilla lets Laura take her hand. Laura shifts her grip so she’s using both her hands to hold Carmilla’s left, her helmet tucked under an arm. Carmilla holds her own helmet under her right arm.

“What took you so long?” Laura whispers. Her thumb brushes over Carmilla’s knuckles.

“I barely took five minutes.”

“It felt like a lot longer.” Laura bites her lip as Carmilla leads her to the elevator. The apartment complex isn’t anything fancy. In fact, it’s on the cheaper side really but it worked especially on Carmilla’s somewhat pitiful salary. She didn’t care, really. She hopes Laura didn’t either.

After pressing the button up, the elevator takes them up to the third floor and Carmilla leads them to apartment _307_. She fishes her keys from her back pocket and Laura stays close to her side as she opens the door and leads them both inside. Upon turning on the lights, Carmilla is relieved seeing she’d had some mind to pick up after herself this morning. It was far from “clean” but at least she didn’t have discarded clothes and trash littering the space.

“Nice place.” Laura says. Carmilla searches for sarcasm in the comment because it’s not really that nice, but there is none. The living room is really just a small black couch, an even smaller coffee table, and an unnecessarily large television. The decorations are sparse. Just an old painting hanging on the wall. The walls are a standard white and the carpet a sickly off-white color.

“Thanks. Should I offer you a drink or something?” Carmilla asks awkwardly and Laura laughs, knocking her hip against Carmilla’s. Carmilla can’t help but smile.

“I’m fine. Are we gonna watch the movie in here?” Laura’s hand loosens from her grip on Carmilla’s hand. Carmilla finds herself reaching out for Laura when she leaves her side to approach her TV. Carmilla drops her hand back to her side and looks at the TV she hadn’t even set up in all the months she’d been living here.

Carmilla had taken it with her from her mother’s home when she’d left only to spite her. It wasn’t like her mother was going to miss it.

“Yeah.” Carmilla answers as Laura’s messing around the unplugged wires. “I’m honestly not too sure how to work it though.” She’s still soaked and the longer she stands in place the more it’s bothering her. “I’m going to go change. Do you want a sweatshirt to change into or something?”

“That would be great.” Laura grins and Carmilla turns on her heel and into her bedroom before Laura’s smile can make her start feeling things.

It only takes a few moments to peel off her wet uniform and change into an old t-shirt and some leggings. She finds a sweatshirt buried deep in her drawers and a pair of shorts for Laura. When she brings them back out, Laura is flicking through Netflix and Carmilla is completely flabbergasted.

How had she done that so fast?

“This SmartTV is so cool, Carm. I’d heard of them but couldn’t afford one of my own, being able to access the internet on your TV is so neat.”

“Right. Uh… How did you—?”

“Are those for me?” Laura stands and holds her hands out hesitantly for the clothes in Carmilla’s hands. Carmilla still has questions about the television but she hands them to Laura who takes them into her bedroom to change. Carmilla had only been gone eight minutes tops how had she…

“Whatever.” She rolls her eyes. At least she could finally check setting the television up off her list of things she was probably never going to do. Carmilla sits down on the couch and rubs her forehead. This was going to be a very different kind of night than what she had been getting used to.

“Thanks for the clothes.” Laura comes back out and goddammit it was hard to keep those pesky non-platonic thoughts squashed with Laura in her apartment wearing her clothes and looking like she belonged there.

“Yeah.” Carmilla says quietly. Laura sits down on the couch next to her.

“I left my wet clothes on the bed, I wasn’t sure where else to put them.”

“I’ll take care of them. What do you want to watch?” Carmilla throws her arm up over the couch behind Laura’s head.

“I get to pick?”

“You’re the guest.” Carmilla answers simply and Laura looks pleased at being in control of their movie choice. If it was up to Carmilla they’d watch something with a little more history to it. But she doubts Laura would be into it.

After she turns off the light, Laura turns on some animated movie on Netflix that she insists is good as soon as she sees the look on Carmilla’s face. Carmilla is uninterested from the start. But she sits through it for Laura. They’re introduced to some little blue alien… six-twenty-hundred or something. As soon as said alien is making his escape from his bonds, Carmilla decides she’d rather watch Laura than the movie. Laura’s enamored expression is something to behold.

Laura always manages to look so effortlessly gorgeous. Right now, when she was focused on watching some children’s movie, she may have never looked more beautiful. Carmilla’s perfectly content watching her until she comes out of her daze and realizes Laura is looking back at her, a single eyebrow raised. Carmilla blushes.

“Something on my face?” Laura asks. The amusement at Carmilla’s embarrassment is apparent. Carmilla shakes her head hastily.

“Nope.” She turns back to the television and pretends to know what’s going on.

“This is a good movie, Carm.” Laura reaches up and pulls Carmilla’s arm over her shoulders, squeezing her hand once before moving both her hands back into her lap. “I promise.”

Despite her misgivings, Carmilla pays attention to the movie. If only to distract herself from being caught staring. It’s actually somewhat interesting watching the blue alien adapt to his new lifestyle. How he begins to change over the course of the movie with the love and acceptance this new family gives him. And how even though he’d messed up more than once, his intentions go from destruction to trying to be better than what he’d been created for. Carmilla becomes so immersed in the movie, she doesn’t notice Laura’s pressed against her until she hears a soft snore as the credits start to roll.

Laura’s fast asleep and using her shoulder as a pillow.

Carmilla scoffs before whispering, “You’re the one who wanted to watch this movie. And _you’re_ the one to fall asleep.”

She doesn’t want to disturb Laura from her sleep. But if she doesn’t move, Laura might have stiff neck in the morning. Something Carmilla doesn’t want to be responsible for.

However, when Carmilla attempts to move from where she’s sitting to move Laura to her bed, Laura just clings tighter and makes a small noise of protest.

“Don’t.” Laura mumbles before she’s fast asleep again.

“Dammit, Laura.”

* * *

 

 **Carmilla wakes up the** next morning lying on the couch alone. Her first thought isn’t on Laura. It’s on why the hell she let herself fall asleep on the couch. There’s a blanket draped over her and she’s confused as to what happened the night before. All at once she registers the fact she’d let Laura stay the night and then the smell of food coming from the kitchenette.

She’d let Laura stay the night.

“Shit.” She hisses. And the winces at how stiff she feels. (Note to self: Under no circumstances does anyone sleep on this couch.)

“You’re awake!” Laura’s voice is _way_ too perky for how early it felt.

“Unfortunately.” Carmilla groans. She lifts her arms above her head to stretch. “What time is it?”

“Nine am?” That makes Carmilla groan in displeasure before flopping back down onto the couch and throwing an arm over her eyes. Laura was alive and awake enough to be doing… Whatever in the kitchen. That was enough for her. Her groan is met initially with silence before she feels the couch dip by her legs and a cautious hand land on her thigh.

Despite herself, Carmilla peeks from under her arm at Laura. She’s met with Laura looking at her like a puppy ready to be pet for doing something good. Her tail might as well be wagging. It’s downright adorable. Carmilla covers her eyes back up.

“I know for a fact my kitchen was empty. What are you making?” Carmilla asks through a sigh. Laura moves her hand from Carmilla’s thigh.

“I was hungry… And your kitchen was empty. So I grabbed your keys and walked down to the market to get some stuff to make pancakes for us.” Carmilla peeks from under her arm again and Laura rubs the back of her neck nervously. A blush blooms on her cheeks when she notices Carmilla looking at her. “I figured it was the least I could do.”

Carmilla sits up and reaches towards Laura. Her fingers brush against Laura’s elbow, making the other woman turn to look at her. There’s something cautious in Laura’s eye. Withdrawn. Carmilla doesn’t really know how to respond to it.

“You don’t owe me anything. Isn’t that how the whole ‘friend’ thing is supposed to work?”

“Yeah… Friends.” There it is again. The hesitance. Carmilla decides right then that Laura is as confusing as she is beautiful. Laura stands suddenly and grabs Carmilla’s arm, tugging gently. “Since you’re awake come help.”

Carmilla glares at her.

“Who said I was awake?” Laura ignores her attempt to deflect the request and she grabs both of Carmilla’s hands, pulling her rather easily to her feet. Carmilla’s shocked by the display of strength. Laura just smiles and leaves a wide-eyed Carmilla standing alone by the couch.

“Come on _Officer Karnstein._ I’ve never been an exceptional cook so if I do this alone I might burn them.”

“And what about me makes you think I’m a better chef?” Carmilla quips back and Laura giggles, gesturing her over anyway.

Oh well. It’s not like she was going to say no to Laura in the end.

* * *

 

 **They burn the pancakes.** Carmilla really doesn’t care, they’ll taste fine either way. But Laura looks discouraged by the state of their breakfast.

“I think it would have been smarter for me to just drag you to a diner.” Laura tries for humor but her disappointment in herself is evident.

“Don’t be so dramatic. They’re fine.” Carmilla takes a large bite of the pancakes to make her point. “Could they be better? Sure. But I don’t think the pity party is necessary.”

“This isn’t a pity party. There’s an… absence of pity parties..” Laura grumbles. She picks halfheartedly at the pancakes, eating a bite after a moment. After a pause, she stops eating so hesitantly. Internally, Carmilla counts this as a victory.

“Why didn’t you?’ Carmilla asks after the silence drags too long, aside from the sounds of them eating.

“Why didn’t I what?”

“Just wake me up and force me to a diner?” Laura smiles and scratches at her cheek with her pointer finger shyly.

“We were having such a good night together I didn’t want to share you with anyone else.” She finally admits and Carmilla nearly chokes on her pancakes. That was not the answer she was expecting.

Oh, Laura Hollis was going to be the death of her.

* * *

 

 **Laura goes to shower** after they finish eating. The dishes get dumped into the sink to deal with another day. Her clothes had been forgotten on Carmilla’s bed, so she lets Laura borrow another sweatshirt and a pair of pants to at least get her back to her apartment.

It all feels too domestic. Having Laura in her home, cooking and eating together, her showering there… Carmilla knows these are things friends do. But she’s never really had friends. And the line feels blurred between them. But it feels irresponsible to cross it.

Though she’d never really been one to follow the rules.

When Laura finishes showering – looking downright adorable with her wet hair in a messy bun and drowning in a sweatshirt Carmilla thinks belonged to one of her brothers – she takes Laura back to _The Lustig_ , dropping her off at the front. Laura is only a few feet away when she turns back to Carmilla.

“Carm?”

“Hm.” Carmilla takes off her helmet. Laura looks grateful to see her face.

“Thank you again. For last night and this morning… Thank you for taking care of me.” Carmilla holds out a hand for Laura. She reaches out and takes it. Carmilla pulls her closer.

“You don’t have to thank me for that. I told you, you’re not an inconvenience.” Laura’s smile is blinding. And Carmilla can’t help but return the smile. Laura leans in then and her lips press faintly against her cheek. It’s so quick she barely registers it’s happening before it’s over.

“I’ll see you later.” Then Carmilla watches as Laura downright skips to the door, unlocks it, and walks inside without looking back once.

* * *

 

 **Unfortunately, later instead of** going to _The Lustig,_ Carmilla gets stuck working the desk overnight. It was just something that happened in her position. Still being stuck working alone on a Saturday night was far from ideal. She busies herself sifting through different reports that had yet to be filed. Silas really did have the most mundane crimes.

She’s just about ready to take a nap when her phone buzzes in her pocket. It’s Laura.

> **Cupcake**
> 
> **Today** 10:38
> 
> _are you going to be here tonight?_
> 
> _No. Sorry. Got stuck with the night shift._
> 
> _Oh… okay._
> 
> _Try not to have too much fun without me. ;)_
> 
> Read 10:43
> 
> _never :)_

Carmilla sighs to herself and sets her phone on top of the desk rather than shoving it back into her pocket. This was going to be a long, boring night.

At least what’s what she’d assumed until forty minutes later, Laura walks into the station carrying two coffees and a pizza.

“Are you allowed to eat here? I probably should have asked that first… But I wanted it to be a surprise.” Carmilla stands to help her with the things she’s carrying. She opts to take the pizza from her hands and one of the coffees.

“Oh I’m surprised. You’re not working tonight?” Laura shakes her head.

“Well, I mean… I _was_. But I asked for the night off and my boss said it was fine. I wanted to come see you. Work’s no fun if I don’t get to watch you glaring at everyone from the corner.”

“I’m glad I provide some kind of amusement for you.” Carmilla grumbles and Laura nudges her.

“Aren’t you happy to see me?” Laura’s eyes are expectant, but somewhat guarded. Like she’s half expecting Carmilla to say something mean to her. Instead Carmilla just rubs the top of Laura’s head before pulling her against her shoulder.

“Of course I am.” Laura’s smile is shy but no less bright.

Laura had no idea how happy Carmilla was she was here. Not getting to see Laura tonight had been putting a damper on the high she’d felt that morning. But here she was.

Carmilla had never been one to follow the rules. But this, what she and Laura had, she didn’t want to ruin it. It was nice having someone around. Someone she liked and who liked her. So if she had to, she could try to keep this innocent.

How hard could that be?


	3. III

**It’s equal parts laughable** and frustrating just how hard it really was to keep things innocent.

It’s not exactly that Carmilla had any problems just being friends with Laura. She could do friends – regardless of how inexperienced she was with the idea of friendship. However, something about Laura made it much harder to keep things between them innocent. Much harder than Carmilla had initially anticipated. Not to mention that once Carmilla had let the seed of ‘ _more_ ’ be planted in her mind, she couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Laura had no idea the effect she had on Carmilla.

This had to be some kind of sick, cruel joke.

Was this the work of some higher being punishing her for abandoning her family? For daring to want to be her own person without being scrutinized and groomed by her mother? What had been so wrong about wanting to escape from that?

Carmilla finds Laura Hollis is the worst punishment she could have been given.

Because despite herself, Carmilla _likes_ her. Admitting it to herself only made it that much worse.

Carmilla wasn’t sure where Laura’s feelings were. For all she knew, all she wanted from Carmilla was friendship. And that was fine. It was not knowing that made her gut twist uncomfortably. This was never supposed to get this far. The pining from afar was embarrassing enough, without legitimate unrequited feelings coming into play.

The growing discomfort was enough to make her actually drink tonight despite knowing what a bad idea it was considering she needed to figure out a way home. She couldn’t very well ride her bike home slightly intoxicated.

Oh well. That would be a problem for later.

Her phone buzzes in her pocket.

> **Cupcake** now
> 
> are you actually drinking?
> 
> _slide to reply_

Carmilla replies to her text with a curt “yeah” and sets her phone down on the table as she takes another drink from her cup. The bourbon they served at _The Lustig_ was downright awful. Carmilla makes a mental note to herself never to drink anything from this bar again.

Her phone buzzes again.

>   
>  **Cupcake** now
> 
> come over here
> 
> _slide to reply_

Carmilla lets out a long sigh as she reads it. She really hopes Laura wasn’t going to try and mother her about her drinking. That was the last thing she needed right now. Regardless of her misgivings, Carmilla gets up. She makes sure to take both the bottle and the cup with her.

“What?” Carmilla asks when she reaches the bar, sitting down at a corner where Laura is already waiting for her. Laura doesn’t look phased by the unfriendly tone.

“How are you getting home if you’re drinking? I know I teased you about not actually drinking the drinks you buy before but…” Laura trails off, her fingers tapping against old wood of the bar.

“Worried about me?” Carmilla aims for a teasing tone, her lips twisting into a small grin.

“Yes?” Laura replies seriously. She looks confused by Carmilla’s attitude and it makes Carmilla feel guilty. It wasn’t Laura’s fault she couldn’t control her feelings. She knows she shouldn’t take it out on her. Carmilla runs her fingers through her hair with a frustrated sigh.

“Sorry.” She says quietly. Laura smiles in acceptance of her apology. For a beat neither of them says a word.

“Why don’t you just stay here tonight?” Laura finally suggests. Carmilla laughs.

“At the bar?”

“No, silly.” Laura laughs too. “Upstairs in my apartment.” Carmilla’s laughter stops at the surprise of the offer. “I’ve stayed over at your place a lot. It would be a lot less work for us both if you just stayed here. And you can drink all you want that way.”

If Carmilla was staying the night she definitely wasn’t going to be drinking any more than she already had. She didn’t want to be drunk the first time she saw the inside of Laura’s apartment. And the thought of finally getting to do so sends a small thrill through her.

“Okay.” Carmilla replies after a moment to pretend like she had been actually debating whether or not to say yes. Laura beams at her.

“Really?”

“Like you said, you’ve already been to my place. It’s about time I saw yours too. Plus, it would be pretty embarrassing to get a DUI when I’m supposed to be getting a huge promotion soon and all.” Laura nods like it makes sense – as if logic was the only reason Carmilla would want to stay at her place. Laura looks like she wants to say more, but someone on the opposite side of the bar calls her name. They both look in the direction and the man looks irritated at the lack of attention he was receiving in favor of Laura speaking to Carmilla. He waves his empty glass in the air.

“Another.” He demands. Carmilla automatically wants to have him punished for interrupting their conversation. When she meets Laura’s eye however, the other woman’s unspoken request is clear.

 _Don’t_.

Fine.

“I get off at eleven.” Laura winks – _winks_ – before turning to talk to the man who’d interrupted them. Carmilla decides to stay where she’s sitting but she doesn’t pour herself anything else from the bottle just as she’d decided earlier. Instead opting to sit and watch Laura work. She really was so gorgeous. Gorgeous in an quiet way though in being friends with her she knew Laura was far from quiet. And everything she did made Carmilla like her even more.

Laura must know Carmilla’s staring but she doesn’t bring any attention to it.

For whatever reason, people decide now is the time they all want something new from the bartender. And for the next forty minutes, Laura has no attention to spare on anything or anyone that isn’t her job. As soon as she finds a moment of peace, Laura slides back over to Carmilla with a smile on her face.

Where did she find the energy?

“Can I get you anything?” Laura asks in what she liked to call her ‘Bartender Voice.’ It consists of her dropping her voice just a tad and she gets this annoyingly sexy smirk that reminds Carmilla way too much of herself. But it was a game Carmilla could play along with.

“I’ll take whatever the bartender recommends.” Carmilla drops her own voice, dropping her chin and looking at Laura under hooded eyes. Laura’s cheeks flush.

“Yes ma’am.” Laura turns and moves back and forth behind the bar, grabbing ingredients and liquids to pour into a mixer. Before long, she’s sliding something orange colored in front of Carmilla, accompanied by a glass of water. “Enjoy.”

The drink is sweet. It would definitely be something Laura would enjoy a lot more than she did. Regardless, she spends the rest of the time waiting for Laura drinking the mystery drink and sipping her water. She catches Laura looking at her more than once while she’s waiting, and each time Carmilla makes sure to give her a small smile and raise her glass.

It feels like forever, but eventually Laura’s shift ends and she’s replaced by some girl whose nametag reads _Elsie._ Laura’s hands find Carmilla’s elbow when she reaches her.

“All finished up there?” Carmilla asks. Laura nods.

“Let’s see if we can polish off that bottle you bought earlier until the bar clears some more. Then we can go upstairs.”

“Sure.” And Carmilla lets Laura drag her back over to her empty table after she grabs the bottle and cup from where it had still been sitting in front of her.

 **Laura finishes one cup** before she agrees with Carmilla on just how awful a bottle it was and they don’t touch it again. Instead, Carmilla listens as Laura catches her up on whatever show she’s been watching recently. Carmilla’s not really listening. Between staring at her mouth as she speaks or watching her hands wave around animatedly and fighting the churning urge in her stomach that would have her throw her inhibitions to the wind and kiss her, there isn’t much room to actually listen to what Laura is saying.

Laura’s too deep in her own speech to really notice.

The bar finally starts to clear out around one in the morning and Laura drags Carmilla away from their table before its fully emptied. Carmilla feels like the few people who are still in the bar are all watching them. She couldn’t say she particularly cared what people thought of her. But she cared what they said about Laura. The idea of people discussing them behind their backs made her uncomfortable for Laura’s sake despite Laura seemingly completely unbothered.

As Laura drags her outside, Carmilla wonders how long it will take the entire population of Silas to think she was fucking Laura Hollis. She hoped she wouldn’t get drilled at work about it from Lafontaine – the coroner who never had much to do and was at the police station way too often just like Laura used to be.

Laura takes them out of the back exit. Carmilla doesn’t know why until she sees the set of stairs built along the back of the bar directly to their left. The stairs lead up to what Carmilla can assume is Laura’s apartment. That only leads Carmilla to wonder why Laura always chose to be dropped off in the front rather than be taken to the back to get upstairs. Perhaps it was a safety thing?

Except that once they’ve ascended the stairs, Laura opens the door without using a key because it had been unlocked.

Perhaps Laura just liked to take the long way inside.

“You should really keep your door locked.” Carmilla tells her as they walk inside. Laura turns on the lights and closes the door behind them, ignoring her advice about keeping it locked. Carmilla scowls and locks it behind them.

“It’s fine.” Laura replies, walking deeper inside. Carmilla trails after her.

“It’s stupid. You could get robbed.”

“Worried about me?” Laura teases. Carmilla knows she’s mimicking her question from earlier. Carmilla glares at her.

“Fine. You go ahead and get robbed.” Laura stops and turns towards her.

“Well luckily a sworn officer, and the soon to be assistant deputy, is my best friend,” Carmilla looks up into her eyes at that and Laura smiles softly. “So maybe she could make my future robbery a priority case?” Laura presses in close to Carmilla, her palms pressed against the exposed skin of her forearm from where Carmilla had rolled up her sleeves much earlier in the night. Carmilla feels like Laura’s touch like electricity. It’s a spark that she physically almost winces away from.

“Or you could just lock your door whether you’re in the general vicinity or not. You know, common sense?” Laura huffs and squeezes her arm before she turns away from Carmilla.

“You are no fun.” Carmilla snorts. She watches Laura walk the last couple feet – _God,_ her work uniform did her all kinds of favors – and turn the corner. Carmilla follows her into what opens to a kitchen a bit larger than her own but it didn’t have much more food than Carmilla could see.

To the right of the kitchen, the tile turns to carpet and leads into a much more decorated living room than what Carmilla lived with. There’s a dark blue couch is pressed against a wall, a little small and bare aside from a single yellow pillow sitting in the center, as well as a small television and a bookshelf. There are a bunch of photos hung on the wall as well.

Carmilla leaves Laura in the kitchen to inspect the living room more. Carmilla ignores the television. The bookshelf consists of three shelves. The bottom two are filled with books. The top shelf is assorted with frames with pictures of Laura and other people. A couple are with her dad, one from where it looks like she’s barely hit puberty, and there’s one of a woman Carmilla doesn’t recognize. (And to be fair, it wasn’t like Carmilla was overly familiar with everyone in Silas.)

“That’s my mother.” Laura says quietly, suddenly beside her. Carmilla looks at her and she’s smiling fondly at the picture. When Carmilla turns back to the photograph, she can definitely see a bit of Laura in this woman. She has the same light brown hair and she has a smile that looks so much like Laura. _Her_ Laura.

“She’s pretty.” Carmilla says. Laura’s smile is brief.

“I never met her. She died giving birth to me.”

“Oh.” Carmilla didn’t know what else to say.

“Yeah.” The silence between them doesn’t last long, but Carmilla feels awkward all the same. Should she have offered her condolences? Laura proves her worries wrong immediately because she turns back to her looking as bright as ever. “Do you want to sit down? Or would you like a snack or something to drink?”

Carmilla shakes her head. “No. Let’s just sit down and watch whatever dumb movie you want. I’m tired. I want to relax.”

“You’re always tired.” Laura replies as they move to sit down on the couch. Laura turns on the television.

“We’re not all blessed with the childlike energy you possess. Or the diet.”

“Maybe you’re just lazy.” Laura looks pleased at the look on Carmilla’s face.

“What was that?”

“I said laz—” Before Laura can finish her sentence. Carmilla is lunging onto her side of the couch, knocking the remote from her hands and tickling her. Laura jerks under her touch immediately, laughing as she struggles to get away from the assault of Carmilla’s hands. Carmilla doesn’t let up. Instead she just shifts forward as Laura falls onto her back. Neither of them quite realize the position they’ve shifted into until Laura’s hands wrap around Carmilla’s wrists and she pushes her away.

For a moment, there’s nothing in the air but Laura’s panting as she tries to catch her breath. Then simultaneously they both look down.

Carmilla’s straddling Laura’s waist. Laura’s lying beneath her looking downright _gorgeous_ with her chest still heaving and her face flushed from laughing. Carmilla blushes. Laura releases her hands. Carmilla is about to apologize when Laura moves her hands to Carmilla’s shoulders. Her fingers clench down on her gently and firmly.

“Laura…” Carmilla starts to question cautiously. She’s interrupted before she can actually question her.

“Carm?” Carmilla swallows nervously.

“Yeah?”

“Kiss me.”

For a moment, Carmilla thinks she’s heard Laura wrong. There was no way she’d asked her _that,_ right? Still, the disbelief doesn’t stop her from looking to Laura’s lips. They’re parted, Laura’s still panting softly. She feels Laura’s hands at the back of her neck, she feels her fingers sliding into her hair, her nails scratching her scalp.

All like sweet temptation.

Carmilla could say no. She could say no and they could both pretend this never happened. Carmilla could still keep this innocent.

But then again, Carmilla had never really been good at saying no when she was offered something she wanted.

Carmilla closes the distance between them and Laura tilts her chin upwards to meet her. The first kiss is a bit hesitant and soft. It’s nothing more than a gentle peck really. Then Carmilla parts her own lips and really kisses her. Laura still tastes like cheap bourbon but her lips feel warm and so, so right. Laura moves her lips in tandem with the soft strokes of Carmilla’s against hers, tongue dipping past her lips into her mouth. Invitingly.

Laura breaks the kiss, putting her hands on Carmilla’s shoulders and pushing against her until they’ve shifted so Carmilla’s lying on her back with Laura’s hips pressed firmly between her legs. Carmilla hooks her ankles behind Laura’s knees. Laura takes in their new position for a moment before a smug expression stretches onto her face.

“I never pegged you as a bottom.” Laura says. Carmilla can’t help but smirk right back. She lifts a hand to fist in the collar of Laura’s shirt and she pulls her down until their lips are brushing.

“I’m a very versatile kind of girl, sweetheart.” Before Laura can react, Carmilla kisses her again. Carmilla licks into her mouth and her tongue slides against Laura’s. She tastes like perfection.

In the back of her mind, Carmilla knows she should stop this while she could. She shouldn’t be doing this with Laura. But Laura was something like the sun. And like a moth Carmilla was drawn to that flame. She was completely and utterly memorized by it.

And if Laura wanted her too, she wasn’t going to give her up.

Laura shifts, not daring part her lips from Carmilla’s, to move her weight from resting gently overtop of Carmilla to her knees. Her hands briefly press against the arm of the couch behind Carmilla’s head before they move to the collar of her uniform and she pops the first button open. They both pull back from the kiss simultaneously.

“Is this okay?” Laura asks. Carmilla feels a swell of pride at how breathless Laura sounds. How breathless s _he_ had made Laura.

“Yeah.” Laura starts to lean in again. “Wait. Are _you_ sure you want to do this? We don’t have to—”

“Carm, do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted to kiss you?” Carmilla wants to tell her _obviously not_ but Laura continues. “I want you.” Laura punctuates each word as if to make sure Carmilla understands how serious she is. And Carmilla does. Carmilla stares back into Laura’s searching eyes without making a single move. As soon as worry starts to appear Carmilla leans up to press her lips against Laura’s. Laura immediately kisses her back, her lips moving carefully yet eagerly.

“Show me then.” Carmilla says against Laura’s lips. Laura _whimpers_. It’s a sound that’s downright adorable but simultaneously sends a spike of arousal right down to her center. Laura brings her hand up from Carmilla’s shirt to cup her cheek, her fingers splayed gently against her skin. She pulls Carmilla into a soft, meaningful kiss. It feels like the kiss is saying something, but before Carmilla can fully decipher it Laura pulls away to press her lips to Carmilla’s neck.

Carmilla tilts her head back to give Laura more access to her skin. Laura’s good with her mouth. That much was apparent when Laura’s tongue had been in her mouth and Laura puts her mouth to good use now. Her lips suckling against her neck, teeth nipping at her skin and her tongue soothing the bright red marks she’s left behind.

Laura’s hands busy themselves unbuttoning the rest of Carmilla’s shirt. Once the front is entirely unbuttoned, Carmilla sits up briefly so Laura can push the stark fabric from her shoulders and toss it aside. Laura’s fingers drag down her torso, her fingertips hot against flushed skin. Laura moves her lips from Carmilla’s neck to kiss between her breasts.

Before Laura can undress Carmilla any more, Carmilla slides her hands down Laura’s back and tugs her shirt out from where it had been tucked into her pants. Laura immediately sits up and Carmilla watches as she pulls her shirt over her head. Carmilla thinks Laura looks like an angel as her hair falls back out from the shirt onto her shoulders. Then she looks down from Laura’s face to her body and her mouth nearly starts watering.

Who would have thought Laura Hollis was this fit?

Her abs are defined and her entire torso is dotted with light brown freckles. And… Her _abs_.

“Holy shit.” Carmilla finds herself saying. Laura giggles. Carmilla’s too focused on the image of her kissing them and dragging her tongue over every single freckle to be embarrassed. She licks her lips when she remembers that tonight would be her chance to do just that.

Carmilla finally tears her eyes from Laura’s abdomen to look her in the eye again. As soon as she does, Laura settles herself back on top of her. Laura kisses her sweetly. Carmilla feels like she could drown in everything that was Laura Hollis. Then Laura’s hands move behind her back and shift to attempt to unhook her bra strap. Carmilla lifts herself up so she’ll have an easier time.

Laura takes her time teasingly pulling the straps down Carmilla’s arms. Carmilla finds herself growing impatient with Laura’s pace. Laura could waste time admiring her later. They had all night for that. Right now, Carmilla just needed Laura to touch her.

“Laura.” Her eyes flick from Carmilla’s bare chest back to her face, the two syllables seem to destroy the slow mood Laura had intended on taking. And in that moment, Laura’s eyes reflect the neediness Carmilla feels. Laura leans forward and her lips press to the underside of Carmilla’s left breast. She nips at the skin before she takes Carmilla’s nipple into her mouth.

Carmilla throws her head back in a small moan as Laura’s tongue flicks against the hardening nub before she sucks hard. Carmilla arches into the body over top of her. Laura’s hand reaches up to grope at Carmilla’s right breast, her fingers mimic the movements of her tongue on her right nipple. Carmilla feels her touch everywhere and can’t bring herself not to gasp her approval aloud.

At every touch – every flick of her tongue or pinch of her fingers – Carmilla feels another spike of pleasure shoot through her entire body. Laura relents her assault on her chest suddenly and almost urgently presses one last wet kiss between her breasts. Carmilla tangles the fingers of her right hand in Laura’s hair and she starts to press kisses down her stomach.

In all the times this scenario had played in Carmilla’s mind, not one of them had involved quite this. She’d never imagined Laura would be the one topping her their hypothetical first time together. But for how cautious Carmilla had been, it really did figure. Yet being topped by Laura, Carmilla found, was infinitely more sexy. There was something really, _really_ hot about Laura on top of her, expertly leaving hickies down her front like she’d been doing it for years.

Laura’s lips finally come to a stop at the hem of her pants and she sits up again.

“Still okay?” Laura asks, starting to tug at her belt. Carmilla nods. Laura smiles at Carmilla like she’s done something endearing. The look on her face makes Carmilla blush.

The moment is gone soon enough as Laura works on loosening Carmilla’s belt and she tosses it aside. After some awkward maneuvering, Her pants and panties are gone too leaving Carmilla lying completely naked in front of Laura. Laura takes a moment to admire the woman lying beneath her. Her gaze is almost enough to make Carmilla feel self-conscious. Before she really has time to linger on it, Laura’s fingers press between her legs suddenly.

The feel of Laura’s fingers delving into the wetness that had been building since she’d first kissed Laura drags an unwarranted gasp from Carmilla’s lips and her hips buck roughly into her touch. Laura kneels down between her legs, nipping at her inner thigh before pressing a soft kiss to her skin. Her fingers slide through her again and Carmilla is a bit ashamed at just how crazy the smallest touches from Laura make her feel. Still it doesn’t stop her from moaning loudly.

“God, you’re so wet.” Laura whispers against her skin, her tongue drags against her against the crease between where she needs Laura most and her thigh.

“Fuck.” Carmilla whimpers. The only sound in the room is Carmilla’s gasps and the faint sound of the television, still left on and forgotten about. Laura lets out a short laugh before she slides a single finger into her. Carmilla throws her head back with a moan of “ _Oh God.”_

Carmilla feels Laura shifts her position between her legs, moving to wrap one arm tight around her thigh as her lips wrap around her clit. Laura sucks briefly before her tongue swirls teasingly against the swollen nub. Laura slides a second finger into her and finally starts to pump them into Carmilla. Slowly at first but quickly picking up the pace.

Carmilla feels like she could melt into the couch. She can feel nothing but Laura. Laura’s mouth against her clit. Her arm around her thigh. Her fingers filling her again and again, curling _just_ right—

“Don’t stop.” Carmilla finds herself _begging_. She knows her moans are loud and she can’t bring herself to care. It’s not like there were any neighbors to disturb and she couldn’t help letting Laura know _just_ how good she was making her feel.

“I won’t.” Laura promises, her breath hot against Carmilla’s clit and a strangled moan tears its way through her throat. Laura sucks hard on her clit one last time before moving back up Carmilla’s body so they’re face to face. Her fingers don’t cease from pumping ruthlessly into her, and Laura’s tongue is replaced by clumsy swipes with her thumb. Laura buries her face in Carmilla’s neck.

Carmilla tangles both hands in Laura’s hair, keeping her lips pressed against her neck. Laura’s breaths against her neck only serve to turn her on even more. The pressure in Carmilla’s lower abdomen starts to build more and more. She’s sweaty and she can’t believe this is actually happening. Even with Laura inside of her, Carmilla can’t believe Laura wants her.

“ _Fuck_.” Carmilla gasps. Laura’s tongue drags against her throat before she bites down into her. And just like that, the combined feeling of the pleasure Laura had already been administering to her and the pleasure she gets from the pain of Laura biting her sends her hurtling into her orgasm.

Carmilla claws at Laura’s back as her body seizes. Laura still doesn’t let up her assault on her throat but her fingers start to slow to allow Carmilla to ride out her orgasm slowly until her body goes slack. She sighs when Laura eases her fingers out of her.

When Carmilla opens her eyes, she sees Laura smiling down at her and twirling a strand of hair between her fingers.

“You okay?” Laura asks, pursing her lips to keep her grin from growing any wider.

Carmilla only sighs pleasantly before she lifts a hand to cup the back of Laura’s neck and she kisses her again. She can feel Laura’s smile against her lips and it makes Carmilla start to smile herself. “Give me a few minutes. Then maybe we can go to your bedroom and maybe I can pay you back for what you just did to me.”

The filthy smirk that stretches onto Laura’s lips is all the answer she needs.

 **Much, much later Carmilla** is lying sweaty and spent in Laura’s bed feeling more exhausted than she has in months. Laura had fallen asleep shortly sometime after the third time Carmilla had made her come that night. Carmilla already knew she herself would be sore in the morning. Laura was damn near insatiable.

Carmilla had wanted to ask Laura what this was for her. She’d wanted to know if this was just sex or something more but now that the moment had passed, she’s admittedly a little scared to ask. Carmilla knows she’ll be crushed if Laura confirms this is just sex. And at the same time, she was too much of a coward to find out if Laura actually felt anything for her.

Tonight had confirmed two things for Carmilla.

One: Laura was attracted to her. And Two: Carmilla was in love with her.

As the thought goes through her head, Laura curls deeper into her with a long pleasant sigh. The arm around Carmilla’s waist tightens and Laura’s body presses harder against her. Carmilla plays with the ends of her hair.

Well this really could be a whole lot worse, couldn’t it?

 


	4. IV

**After that night, sex** becomes just another thing Carmilla does with Laura when they’re alone together. Carmilla can admit to herself that it’s more than just sex for her, but they never do have that talk about defining what this was like Carmilla had wanted. Admittedly, the morning after, her own cowardice had been to blame. She’d woken up to Laura’s smiling face and she’d been pulled into the shower where Laura had slowly dragged her lips over every single hickey she’d left on Carmilla’s body the previous night. Her fingers had apologetically traced the bite makes on her shoulders and the scratches down her back.

Carmilla couldn’t think of a time she’d been more sore in a way that felt _so_ good.

Afterwards, they’d walked to a diner a few blocks from the bar for breakfast before Carmilla made up an excuse about going to work so she could go back to her own apartment. Staying any longer would no doubt lead to her convincing herself this maybe meant something more to Laura than it probably did.

That hadn’t stopped Laura from pulling her into a deep, lingering kiss before she left. And Carmilla could remember the taste of Laura on her tongue the rest of the day.

In the weeks and the amazing amount of sex that followed, nothing much changed between them. No awkwardness or unsurety came from their relationship becoming more intimate behind closed doors. If anything they were even more inseparable than before.

They were just really good friends who happened to sleep together.

A lot.

And as those weeks passed, the cool fall quickly changed to a freezing winter. Somewhere in mid-November it started to become too cold to keep up their stargazing dates, so they’d taken to staying in more often.

The first week of December, it snows. A lot.

And it dawns on Carmilla one night just how much time had passed. It was going on six months since Sheriff Hollis had died. It was going on six months ago Laura had lost her dad. And it was going on five months that Carmilla had been unwaveringly at her side. Carmilla found it hard to believe just how quickly the time had passed.

Eleven months ago, the first time she’d seen Laura Hollis, she could have never imagined just how much the pretty bartender would mean to her. Carmilla could have never imagined Laura might want her too.

And even if this thing between them was only temporary, Carmilla finds herself just grateful to have had Laura be a significant part of her life.

* * *

 

 **Carmilla gets officially promoted** to Assistant Deputy in mid-December. And as it turned out, the promotion gave her a lot less work to do but a much larger salary. Carmilla wasn’t going to complain about getting more money for doing less. She mostly spent her time sitting in the Sheriff’s office lounging on the couch.

She’s doing just that when a knock on the doorframe interrupts her peace. She doesn’t bother holding back her groan of displeasure and she mentally berates herself for not closing the door like she’d briefly thought to when she first came in. Even if the new Sheriff didn’t really like it, he wasn’t going to do anything about it. She opens her right eye to glare at whoever had decided to interrupt her rest and what she sees is somewhere over six feet of certified man-child.

… To be fair, Kirsch wasn’t _as_ annoying as he could be. Carmilla still couldn’t stand him but she didn’t actively hate him either.

He actually looks a little scared realizing he’d interrupted her peaceful afternoon.

Cute.

“What?” Carmilla barks, making her tone harsh on purpose. Kirsch shuffles nervously.

“I had a question about little ne—Er, Laura.” He scratches the back of his neck. “I know you two are like _bros_ now. You’d probably know right?”

“Okay..?” Carmilla isn’t sure if she likes where this conversation is going.

“Does she have any plans for her birthday in a couple weeks?”

_Her what?_

Carmilla manages to hold her tongue and keep from asking that question aloud. Instead she asks, “ _Why_?”

Kirsch knows Laura is a lesbian. _Everyone_ knew that. If he was trying to ask her out she’d—

“A lot of us—The town I mean—We were thinking of throwing her a party at _The Lustig._ So she wouldn’t have to spend it alone. Usually her dad threw parties for her but—I mean if you two had plans though that’s totally cool that why I wanted to check but—”

“We don’t have any plans.” Carmilla cuts him off because frankly she _doesn’t care_. And Kirsch stumbling over himself was grating her nerves. Especially with her still wondering why Laura hadn’t told her that her birthday was coming up. “What do you need from me?”

“Just if you could bring her by that night would be totally cool.” Carmilla nods. “Thanks, Carm-se—Er.” Kirsch looks confused trying to come up with something to call her that isn’t a nickname she _specifically_ told him not to use. He ends up just awkwardly saluting before scampering from the room.

Once he’s gone, Carmilla deflates into the sofa with a sigh. She already had enough to worry about with Christmas coming up.

What was she going to do about her birthday?

* * *

 

 **Christmas falls on a** quiet Friday night. Laura had asked Carmilla to spend the holiday at her place the same night Kirsch had told Carmilla about Laura’s birthday coming up a few days after New Year’s Eve. (He hadn’t told her the exact date, assuming she’d already known, which just meant Carmilla had to discreetly go digging for information. Carmilla really felt she deserved an award for not openly showing how shitty she felt about Laura _still_ having not brought it up to her.) Laura’s reasoning had been that they both had no one else to spend it with. Honestly Carmilla would have said yes regardless.

Back when she was still living with Mother, Christmas hadn’t been something that was celebrated in their household. Mother was always buried in her work. Mattie had moved out before Carmilla had realized she was missing out on anything. And Will and JP weren’t any better suited to plan a celebration than she was. But the time she was a teenager, she stopped caring.

Still, when Laura asks, the thought of spending such a sentimental holiday with Laura was… appealing.

Laura coaxes Carmilla into helping her decorate her house and on Christmas Eve, it snows the entire day. Carmilla wakes up to a town blanketed in white and it’s not long before the roads are deemed too dangerous for travel. So Laura and Carmilla spend Christmas lounging around lazily in Laura’s apartment.

Of course it isn’t long until innocent lounging turns into Laura pressing Carmilla back against her couch and kissing her. Something about the kiss feels a little different from how their make out sessions usually feel. It takes Carmilla a bit to figure out that it’s because they’re _only_ kissing. There’s no promise that things are going to escalate, and they don’t. Laura just presses herself against Carmilla, her fingers soft on Carmilla’s cheeks and her lips moving in gentle synchronization with Carmilla’s. And there’s nothing Carmilla can or wants to do that doesn’t involve kissing her back.

 _God_ , Laura was a fantastic kisser.

Carmilla is perfectly content with the prospect of spending the rest of the afternoon lazily kissing the woman she was disgustingly infatuated with, but of course Laura is the one who breaks the kiss. Laura presses her forehead to Carmilla for a moment and Carmilla keeps her eyes closed. She opens them again when Laura pulls away.

“Thank you for spending Christmas with me Carm.” Laura’s eyes are shining in a way that makes it look like she’s going to cry.

“Of course.” Carmilla lifts a hand to brush her thumb across Laura’s cheekbone. Laura lifts a hand to cover Carmilla’s and she squeezes gently.

“I mean it. I didn’t know what I was going to do this year. Usually my dad and I—I moved out but we would always spend it together no matter what. I really don’t know what I would have done this year without you.”

“Don’t think about that.” Carmilla replies. She tilts her head with a smile and Laura smiles back. “I _am_ here. And I’m not going anywhere okay.”

“Okay.” Laura leans back in and presses her forehead back to Carmilla’s. She nods again and when she speaks again it’s against Carmilla’s lips. “Okay.”

* * *

 

 **In order to make** sure the surprise party stayed a surprise, Carmilla had to make sure Laura wasn’t at _The Lustig_ while everyone else was there. So Carmilla was planning on surprising Laura at her job and taking her to the lake. They hadn’t been together since the snow had started coming down and she thought Laura might like it at night.

Carmilla stands by the front desk going through her admittedly empty texts. She’s only spoken to Kirsch and Laura recently. She opens her texts with Laura.

> **Laura**
> 
> **Today** 12:05 AM
> 
> _Happy Birthday, cupcake._
> 
> _omg_
> 
> _how did you find out?_
> 
> _Don’t worry about it._
> 
> _We should celebrate._
> 
> _Did you have something in mind?_
> 
> _I might._
> 
> _okay._
> 
> _thank you btw Carm. <3_
> 
> _You’re welcome._
> 
> _I’ll see you this afternoon._
> 
> Read 12:12 AM

A pair of arms wrap around Carmilla’s waist and in an instant, her rather calm mood shoots to panic at being touched. For a moment, she’s fully prepared to punch whoever was touching her then a familiar laugh comes from the body pressed against hers. Carmilla then realizes she recognizes the feel of the body as well and she places her hands over Laura’s wrists.

“Hey.” Carmilla breathes coolly. She actually feels a little self-conscious with the eyes of the entire police station turned to them. Carmilla turns to face Laura and tosses a quick glare around to coax everyone into minding their own business. Without thinking about it, Carmilla grabs Laura’s hand and tugs her into the sheriff’s office so they won’t have an audience.

It’s only when she’s pushing the door closed behind her that she realizes she’d likely only made it worse.

Oh well.

“What are you doing here?” Carmilla asks, keeping her voice gentle.

“I wanted to see you.” Laura admits with a shy smile. “And it’s my birthday, remember?”

“I remember, sweetheart.” Carmilla replies. Laura bites her lip. Carmilla eyes are drawn to the movement and Laura must notice because her lips curl into a small smile.

“Can the birthday girl get a kiss?” Carmilla feels like her mouth goes dry.

“Whatever you want.” She says quietly, already leaning in and cupping Laura’s left cheek in her hand. She presses a soft kiss to her lips. This was another problem with the lack of definition with what they were. Laura really liked kissing. And Carmilla really liked kissing Laura. But it was hard to tell where the line was drawn. It was never where anyone could see them. And Laura _always_ asked for permission. Yet Carmilla wouldn’t have a single problem with Laura just kissing her wherever she wanted. Whenever.

Instead of saying any of that, she pulls away and takes in the content look on Laura’s face.

“Are you taking me somewhere?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“What if I don’t like surprises?”

“That’s too bad, because regardless I’m not telling you until we get there.”

Laura immediately starts to complain.

* * *

 

 **A few hours later,** Carmilla borrows a police cruiser to drive Laura out to the lake. The lake had been one of the places they frequented while it was still somewhat warm outside during the fall. It had been a clear and private place for them to watch the stars on the old abandoned dock.

It’s cold by the lake but not anything Carmilla hadn’t anticipated. Luckily Laura seemed none the wiser to the real reason Carmilla had brought her out to the lake. She seemed completely ignorant to the plans being made for her evening and Carmilla was glad for it. It was making the one task she’d been assigned to for tonight a whole lot easier.

Carmilla had first visited this place last winter when she’d first moved to Silas. The lake had looked beautiful. The water had been completely frozen over and it looked timeless and untouchable.

However, this was the first time Carmilla had seen the frozen lake at sunset.

“Oh my god.” Laura breathes beside her as they’re emerging from the path through the dense forest to fully see the lake. Laura had said exactly the words Carmilla had been thinking. The sight is honestly magnificent.

The lake itself is dark against the bright colors painted in the sky by the sunset. The frozen lake is unblemished and the leafless trees bordering the lake are dusted with snow. The sky is bathed in warm colors that seem to stretch on forever.

“I thought the lake looked beautiful at night but… Nothing can compare to this.” Laura continues. She leaves Carmilla’s side to walk down the pier and Carmilla watches her go. Laura’s form becomes a silhouette. She fits like a missing puzzle piece and Carmilla feels a warmth building in her stomach. Just looking at Laura made her feel so, so warm.

Carmilla doesn’t even try to hide the smile that stretches onto her face.

This all felt very out of character but she just couldn’t help herself.

Laura… made her feel _warmth_.

“I know this isn’t much of a gift—” Carmilla starts to apologize as she joins Laura on the rickety old pier.

“Carm…” Laura cuts her off, her voice gentle. Carmilla snaps her mouth shut. She doesn’t know how Laura manages to constantly take her breath away. “I didn’t want anything from you except for you to be with me today. And I wasn’t going to tell you only because I—It’s my first birthday without my dad and I didn’t know how I was going to celebrate without him.” Laura’s quiet for a moment and Carmilla stays silent while she gathers her thoughts. “But you were here when I needed you. Like always. I still don’t know how you found out but thank you for everything.” She looks up at Carmilla with her eyes shining. Carmilla can’t help but feel a little self-conscious. She reaches out and cups the back of Laura head and she presses her forehead to Laura’s.

“How many times do I have to tell you, you don’t have to thank me for something like that?”

“Okay.” Laura says and Carmilla pulls away. Laura’s still looking at her like she’s painted every single detail of this just so Laura could see it. The knowledge that Carmilla would have a million times over makes her feel a little embarrassed.

“Let’s go back.” Carmilla suggests, shoving her hands into her jacket pockets.

Laura nods.

“Okay.”

* * *

 

 **The closer they get** to _The Lustig_ , the more Carmilla’s internal scowl increases. Laura hasn’t let go of her hand since they’d gotten back into the borrowed squad car and knowing she’d have to share Laura tonight despite how things were going was putting a real damper on her good mood.

But as much as Carmilla did resent the rest of the people in Silas to an extent, she did understand that Laura wasn’t just _hers_. Unfortunately, it would be selfish and unreasonable to keep Laura all to herself.

That didn’t mean she had to be happy about it.

“Why are we going to _The Lustig?_ ” Laura asks as Carmilla parks the car out front.

“I figured you could use your employee discount to get us some free drinks.” Carmilla lies, throwing a wink in Laura’s direction for good measure. Laura doesn’t look to impressed but Carmilla figures she’ll be forgiven soon enough.

“Using me for free alcohol now?” Laura teases and Carmilla grins.

“Just get out of the car.”

“ _Fine_.” Laura does as she’s told but she doesn’t look too happy about it. Carmilla almost feels guilty. Still she ushers Laura towards the doors. Laura’s the one to open the doors and immediately a chorus of voices pours from inside.

“ _Happy Birthday!!”_

Laura’s soon tugged away from Carmilla’s side and pushed towards a pool table with a cake on it. Carmilla drifts into the background. She didn’t really care to get involved with their party festivities. Instead she sits down at the back and orders a glass of water from Elsie to sip while she watched from afar. Elsie gives Carmilla a sympathetic smile.

Just how obvious was she?

Carmilla turns away from Elsie to watch Laura mingle with her guests. They’re in the middle of singing to her. Everyone’s smiling and Laura looks embarrassed standing in the center right in front of the cake. Almost like she can sense Carmilla looking at her, she turns immediately and meets her eye. Laura tries to wave her over subtly but Carmilla shakes her head which makes Laura’s budding smile drop immediately.

“Time to blow out the candles!” Someone to Laura’s right says, putting their hands on her shoulders. Laura’s attention moves from Carmilla back to the cake. The smile that then comes to her face looks a little more forced than it had been before. Carmilla feels a spike of guilt. It’s gone when they cut into the cake and Carmilla can see the brightness in her eyes across the bar as she takes a bite.

* * *

 

 **A little while later,** Carmilla has moved from the bar to somewhat reluctantly playing a round of pool with some of the other Silas police officers. Kirsch had been the one to invite her over, saying she looked bored and he couldn’t have a ‘pretty lady’ being bored at a _party_.

Carmilla had decided to let that one slide.

She’s winning to the surprise of the men around her but that’s their own faults for underestimating her. Honestly she was probably getting a little too much joy having watched them shift from shock to determination at beating her.

Their luck is out because she’s lining up her final shot. Just as she’s ready to pulling the pool stick back a voice _right_ behind her says, “Carm!”

It throws her off just enough for the ball to miss her intended goal widely and instead hit the eight ball into one of the side pockets. Carmilla lets out a breath of frustration through her nostrils. For a moment all she can do it glare angrily at the pocket where the ball disappeared. When she does look up the boys all look like they’re holding back laughter at her fuck up. Carmilla glares at them shortly before turning back to Laura.

“Sorry.” Laura says. The smile on her face says the exact opposite. “I didn’t see you at the bar.”

Carmilla hands her pool stick off to Kirsch. “I decided to socialize.”

“Come on.” Laura holds out her hand which Carmilla takes. Carmilla only glances back once as Laura leads her away and sees the other officers already immersed in starting a new game without her. The rest of the bar is full of people doing their own thing as well. No one’s paying attention to them.

Laura tugs her into a backroom that has a sign labeled _EMPLOYEES ONLY_ above it. Once they’re inside, Carmilla can see this must be what was turned into the employees lounge. It’s got its own minibar and couch with a few old pinball games pushed against the farthest wall.

“What are you doing?” Carmiilla asks as Laura turns back to face her after flicking the lights on behind the bar. It doesn’t provide much more light to the dark room, but they can see one another at least.

“I wanted to be alone with you.”

“Aren’t you neglecting your guests?” Carmilla really couldn’t care less about that but Laura’s snort still surprises her.

“This party wasn’t only about me. They just needed an excuse to get drunk. After the cake was cut it stopped being my birthday party really.” Laura doesn’t sound bitter, just like she’s stating a fact. It makes Carmilla press her lips together unhappily. “Besides I already told you, all I wanted for my birthday was to be with you.” _That_ makes Carmilla’s mouth tugs into a half smile and Laura reaches out to take Carmilla’s hand in hers. “Can I kiss you?”

Carmilla nods her consent before she says, “Yeah.”

And Laura does. Tilting her head to press her lips gently against Carmilla. Carmilla feels like she can feel everything about Laura. The press of her nose against her cheek. The bit of space between their bodies. The breath Laura lets out through her nose before she starts to coax Carmilla’s lips into moving against her own.

Carmilla lifts her hands from where they’re hanging awkwardly by her sides to wrap around Laura’s back and pull her against her. One of Carmilla’s hand presses gently between her shoulder blades while the other rests on the small of her back. Laura sighs into her mouth as their chests brush.

The sound is more than enough to make Carmilla’s hands press harder against Laura and kiss her deeper. Carmilla’s tongue slipping past Laura’s now parted lips and they moan simultaneously when their tongues brush. Carmilla doesn’t think she could ever tire of the taste of Laura or how perfect they felt pressed together like this.

All Carmilla can think about is how much she loves her. _She loves her. She loves her._

“Ow.” Laura pulls away abruptly and Carmilla realizes she’d been unconsciously pushing Laura backwards until they’d run into the minibar.

“Sorry.” Carmilla’s hands drop to rub gently on the spot where Laura’s back had hit the wooden counter. Unexpectedly, Laura’s body arches into her and Laura’s hands drop to Carmilla’s shoulders.

“I’m fine.” Laura replies before fisting her hands in the collar of Carmilla’s jacket and dragging her down into a hungry kiss. A kiss that’s downright lustful. Carmilla hips press forward into Laura’s and Laura groans into her mouth. Carmilla decides it’s best to let Laura take control of the kiss while she focuses on more important matters, like getting Laura undressed.

Laura’s jacket is easiest. It’s quickly unzipped, pushed off Laura’s shoulders and dropped to floor. However, Carmilla’s displeased to find Laura had opted _not_ to wear one of her button ups today and wore a shirt that would need to be pulled over her head. Laura seems to realizes this and pulls away from Carmilla’s lips to pull her shirt up and over head. Carmilla’s hands immediately find their way back to Laura’s body to press against the newly revealed skin. Laura’s warm and firm beneath her fingers, her skin soft. There’s a few fading hickies dusting her torso that Carmilla can see even in this sparse lighting.

Laura’s hands cup Carmilla’s face and bring their lips back together while she moves backwards until she’s pressed back against the minibar once again. Carmilla’s hands find her hips and she lifts Laura up so she’s sitting on top of the bar. And—God does she look sexy like this. Carmilla loves the way Laura has to lean down to keep eye contact with her. How _desirable_ she looks looking down at Carmilla with her hair draping over the right side of her head. Carmilla can feel her mouth watering.

Laura wraps her arms around Carmilla’s neck and pulls her close again so she’s pressed snug between Laura’s legs. Laura lets out a small sound of pleasure when Carmilla’s front brushes against her. Laura’s just starting to press her still wet lips against Carmilla’s when Carmilla suddenly remembered exactly where they are and that Elsie could walk right in at any moment.

“Hey, wait.” Laura backs off immediately.

“What’s wrong?” She asks. She sounds concerned in a way Carmilla only find endearing.

“Nothing, you’re fine. I was just—Is the door locked?” Laura runs her fingers through her hair and laughs shortly.

“No. I don’t think so. I was a little distracted.” Laura bites her lip and Carmilla presses a kiss against her cheek before turning to go lock the door. Once the lock has clicked into place, she turns back to Laura and her mind blanks at what she sees.

In the short amount of time she’s been turned, Laura’s managed to slip out of her pants and she sits, legs spread sitting only in her bra and panties. And if Carmilla had thought she’d looked sexy before…

“ _God_.” Carmilla breathes and Laura reaches out towards her.

“Come here.”

Carmilla can’t do anything but obey. She moves forward until Laura’s arms are back around her neck and she presses a line of kisses along Laura’s left arm.

“You remember what I told you I wanted for my birthday, right?” Carmilla closes her eyes and presses her forehead to Laura’s chest. How could she forget?

“Yeah.” She says quietly.

“I want you.” Laura punctuates every word. Carmilla’s arms wrap around her waist and Laura’s fingers play with the ends of her hair.

“I want you too.” Carmilla finally replies. She can’t look at Laura right now. She can’t. If she looks up into her bright, beautiful eyes she might say something she’s not ready to. Laura, however, guides Carmilla’s chin upwards and she knows she’s facing Laura now.

“Look at me, Carm.” Carmilla can’t. _She can’t._ Laura’s lips press against her eyelids. In the gentlest tone she says, “ _Carmilla_.”

Carmilla forces herself to look at Laura and she can see the affection behind those deep brown eyes. Before she can say something she doesn’t want to, she surges forward and kisses Laura hard. Laura falls into sync with her immediately and the gasp she lets out into Carmilla’s mouth when both their lips part sends a spike of arousal right to Carmilla’s center.

“Take off my bra.” Laura’s thumbs stroke Carmilla’s cheeks and Carmilla nods. Her hands move to the clasp of Laura’s bra and she unhooks it with practiced ease. Carmilla feels like Laura’s skin is burning as she drags the straps of her bra down her arms, the tips of her fingers brushing her skin along the way.

Once it’s off, Laura’s arms go back around her neck and Carmilla dips her head to take one of Laura’s nipples into her mouth. She traces her areola before sucking gently and biting down. Laura’s hips roll against Carmilla’s abdomen, clearly seeking some kind of friction to relieve herself. Carmilla doesn’t let up on her assault on Laura’s breast, alternating between nips and soft strokes of her tongue against her left nipple while she rolls the right between her fingers. She switches and Laura’s fingers dig into her skin. Every gasp and soft moan that comes from Laura now only spurs her on more.

Carmilla finally moves away from Laura’s breasts, pressing her wet lips between them before she presses her lips to Laura’s neck. Carmilla’s right hand makes its way between Laura’s legs and Laura gasps when her fingers find the damp spot on her panties.

“ _God,_ Laura.” Carmilla breathes out against her neck. Laura guides her chin up again to force Carmilla to meet her eye.

“Do you want me?” Laura asks, leaning in so her lips brush against the bridge of Carmilla’s nose.

“I want you. I want you so much.” Carmilla presses a searing kiss to Laura’s lips. The implications behind her words are a lot deeper than Laura might know. Regardless, Laura smiles against her mouth.

“I’m yours. I’m yours.” Laura kisses her again. And kisses her. And kisses her. Carmilla’s perfectly content doing just that until Laura’s hand moves against hers where it’s still between her legs, encouraging her to move. Carmilla shifts her hand to slide it down the front of her panties. And when Carmilla’s fingers drag through the wetness that’s gathered there, Laura moans into her mouth.

Carmilla can’t stand the idea of not being able to taste her when she comes.

She breaks away from Laura’s lips and she smiles when Laura’s lips chase after hers. Laura leans back with a pout as Carmilla drags her lips down her front until she’s bent between her legs. Carmilla presses the tip of her nose teasingly to that damp spot between Laura’s legs, pulling a gasp from the woman above her before Carmilla pulls her panties down and off her legs.

This leaves Laura completely naked in front of a very much still fully clothed Carmilla. Neither of them can really bring themselves to care when Carmilla’s mouth wraps around Laura’s clit. One of Laura’s hands grips Carmilla’s shoulder and the other rests on the top of her head, pushing her deeper between her legs. Carmilla only moans before she delves deeper into her.

The taste of Laura on her tongue is addicting. Each noise she makes as Carmilla’s tongue drags through her and dips into her is like sweet, sweet music to her ears. Carmilla wraps both arms around Laura’s thighs and tugs her closer. All Carmilla can taste, hear, smell, feel, is Laura. She thinks she’d be happy if she could die just like this. Completely and fully consumed by Laura Hollis.

She brings a hand around to press to Laura’s clit while her tongue relentlessly dives between her labia again and again. The sounds she makes and the way her thighs clench around her head is dizzying. With every stroke of her tongue, she can hear Laura gasping her name around a moan. A pant. A sharp intake of breath.

“ _Carm._ ” She breathes. “ _Carmilla._ ”

“I’ve got you.” Carmilla promises and Laura shivers at the way her lips brush against her as she speaks.

“I—”

“Shh.” Carmilla nips at her clit before swiping her tongue against her again and again until Laura shudders above her before she seizes as she comes. Laura comes hard on Carmilla’s tongue and she can’t help the moan that tumbles from her mouth at the taste of Laura spilling into her mouth.  Carmilla doesn’t stop though, continuing to drag her tongue through Laura slowly until Laura’s pushing her away.

“Oh my god.”’ Carmilla stands and presses her lips to Laura’s, not bothering to try and wipe her mouth. Laura licks into her mouth immediately and moans at the taste of herself on Carmilla’s tongue. “Give me a second.” She says before leaning in to kiss her again. “Let me catch my breath.”

Carmilla nods silently while Laura presses feather light kisses along her jaw. Carmilla’s perfectly content letting Laura recover and she looks down at the bar where Laura’s still perched comfortably. The image of Laura bent over it with Carmilla’s fingers inside of her flashes in her mind and Carmilla pulls away from Laura’s lips.

“Come here.” She gestures for Laura to hop off the counter and come towards her. After a moment of confusion, she does as asked and Carmilla immediately flips her around and pushes her down so she’s leaning against the minibar, still warm from Laura having been sat there just a few moments ago. Laura peeks back at Carmilla over her shoulder. Carmilla rubs a hand up and down her still damp back.

“Is this okay?” Carmilla asks as she pulls off her jacket. She tosses it down by Laura’s clothes before moving her hands to gently massage Laura’s lower back. Laura makes a soft noise as Carmilla’s thumbs massage up and down her spine.

“Yeah.” Laura nods and Carmilla moves her hands to press against Laura’s thighs before leaning over her. Her hands move to Laura’s inner thigh which draws out a breath of anticipation. “Carm—” Whatever Laura’s going to say is cut off when Carmilla’s fingers ghost over her clit. Laura bites her lip to keep from moaning too loudly, still sensitive from before.

Carmilla wastes no more time after that, dragging her fingers between Laura’s legs to test how much moisture had built up before deciding to bring her fingers to her mouth. Carmilla lathers them with her own spit before she moves her hand back between Laura’s legs and slides a single finger into her.

Laura’s body spasms beneath her as Carmilla’s finger slides in knuckle deep with no resistance. Carmilla lays her front down against Laura’s back, keeping her pressed down onto the bar.

“Do you trust me?” Laura’s nodding in response before she’s fully finished asking the question. She presses her lips against the small mole right beside Laura’s left shoulderblade.

“I trust you.” Carmilla slides a second finger into Laura and her words tamper off into a whimper. Carmilla starts to pump her fingers in and out of her gently at first, but slowly picking up pace. Laura grinds down against her fingers and pants out again. “I trust you.”

The statement makes Carmilla feel warm. Not warm like how hot it feels in this room the more Laura and Carmilla move together, but warm in a way that makes her heart swell. Carmilla shifts her free hand to rub Laura’s clit in small circles. Carmilla can see Laura’s hands clench into fists on top of the bar.

“I want to touch you.” Laura whispers.

“No.” Carmilla answers. Laura whimpers and Carmilla almost gives in because she just sounds so _needy_. “I need you to wait for me, sweetheart. Can you do that for me?” Laura nods. “Don’t come until I say so. Okay?” Laura nods again. “I need to hear you say it.”

“Okay.” Laura gasps out as Carmilla twists her fingers inside of her. “Okay.”

Carmilla drives her fingers harder into Laura then and Laura arches into her. Her chest heaves with every breath she takes and her thighs clench about Carmilla’s hands. Carmilla can feel Laura clamping down around her fingers with every shudder of her body. She was close. So, so close. Carmilla pulls her fingers from inside Laura the moment she realizes it and brushes them, still wet, against the inside of Laura’s thighs.

Laura lets out a sound of frustration at the loss.

“Carm—”

“What do you want, Laura?”

“Please.” Laura wiggles her hips back against Carmilla’s. Carmilla puts her hands on Laura’s backside to stop her.

“Use your words.” Carmilla slides her hands back to the front of Laura’s thighs.

“I need you— _Ahh.”_ She has to stop when Carmilla’s fingers press against her clit, just barely applying pressure to it. “I need you inside.” She _begs_ in a tone that’s almost a sob. “ _Please_.”

Carmilla gives in to the request without a word. She slips two fingers back inside Laura and after a few shallow pumps, she adds a third and drives her fingers deeper and harder into her. Laura cries out as quietly as she can manage beneath Carmilla again and again. Her hands flail somewhat wildly, grasping for something, anything to hold onto. Carmilla has mercy on her and brings her free hand up to clench around one of Laura’s. Laura squeezes her hand gratefully.

She’s already close again. Carmilla can feel Laura starting to flutter around her fingers. She can feel Laura struggling to hold herself back. Carmilla presses her lips along Laura’s spine and finds herself unable to deny Laura her second orgasm any longer.

“Come for me.” With a final sob of pleasure, Laura clenches down around Carmilla’s fingers. Her body goes completely stiff. Moan after moan falls from her lips while Carmilla slows until Laura’s come down from her high. Then she shifts only slightly to press her forehead to the sheen of sweat on Laura’s back. There’s only one thought running through Carmilla’s mind.

 _I love you so much_.

“I love you too.”

Carmilla’s heart instantly seizes in panic. Had she said that out loud? She lifts her head and looks up at Laura with wide eyes. She must look like a deer caught in headlights. When Laura looks back realizing her silence and sees the panicked look on her face, she laughs.

 _Laughs_.

Carmilla’s face flushes even more.

“What?” Laura says, turning around to place her hands on Carmilla’s arms. “Did you think I didn’t?”

“What reason would I have to think you felt the same way about me?” It comes off defensive and rude. Carmilla knows it and she does feel a little bad. But she’s too shocked to give it more attention than that.

Laura only pulls Carmilla closer and leans in to brush their noses together.

“I do. Carmilla, I think I’ve been a little in love with you since that first time you took me out for ice cream.” She pulls back to make sure Carmilla’s looking at her. Carmilla can only make herself meet Laura’s eye for a few seconds before she’s surging forward and kissing Laura with every bit of emotion she can muster up.

“I love you.” Carmilla says against her lips and Laura smiles. It’s such a relief to say it out loud.

“I love you.” Laura returns. She kisses Carmilla again and again. This feels a little too much like a dream. Like the best dream she’s ever had that she’ll wake up from at any moment. Laura peppers kisses against her cheek, her nose, her chin. “I love you. I love you.”

Carmilla laughs a little when Laura presses a kiss below her ear before her hands slide beneath Carmilla’s shirt.

And yeah, this really might not have been the most romantic of ways for them to have admitted their feelings. But nothing about their relationship had ever been the way it _should_ be.

And they _weren’t_ a love at first sight story. And maybe this _wasn’t_ a story they should tell any potential kids.

But it was them.

There was just something about Laura Hollis that Carmilla couldn’t help but fall in love with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're done!
> 
> Thank you for reading if you made it all the way through. This story was something that's main idea was based on Riss wanting Laura and Carmilla to have sex on a bar while we were talking about a Wayhaught AU and I liked it so much I told her I'd write it for her. And then, because I'm extra, it turned into this four-shot that honestly went way, way off the initial idea we'd talked about.
> 
> Not to be sappy or extra but life (SCHOOL) is kicking my ass recently so this might be my last story. At least for a while. I'm finding myself way too busy and way too low in inspiration to be focusing any attention on fanfiction. And since I've mentioned that, if this is my last story for a while, thank you to anyone who's ever read something I've written. Who's left me a comment or a kudos or even just their time. I appreciate you more than you could ever know. <3


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